The Genie in Your Genes: Epigenetic Medicine and the New Biology of Intention »

Dawson Church, Ph.D., is the founder of Soul Medicine Institute, has conducted numerous studies in the field of energy medicine, and lectures widely at psychology, medicine, and anti-aging conferences. He set up a network of therapists, the Iraq Vets Stress Project, to make energy psychology available to returning veterans, and through EFT Power Training, instructs sports teams, businesses, and medical offices in the implementation of breakthrough therapies. His other books include Soul Medicine and the forthcoming Your Happy Genes.

Voted Best Health Book, USA Booknews National Awards. Your genes don't control your health or happiness outcomes; in fact many of the choices you make turn genes on or off. Author Dawson Church applies the insights of the new field of Epigenetics (epi=above, i.e. control above the level of the gene) to healing. Citing 417 scientific studies, he shows how consciousness-in the form of beliefs, altruism, optimism, meditation, emotions, and energy psychology methods like EFT-can trigger the expression of DNA strands. He focuses on a class of genes called Immediate Early Genes or IEGs. These genes turn on within a few seconds of a stimulus. They can be triggered by thoughts or emotions ("I loved that unexpected gift of roses Bill gave me" or "I'm so mad about what Uncle John said at the Christmas party") as well as spiritual experiences, and acts of kindness. Many IEGs are regulatory genes turn on other genes that affect specific aspects of our immune system, such as the production of white blood cells that destroy attacking bacteria and viruses. Epigenetics thus influences our health every day.
He coins the new term "Epigenetic Medicine" to describe healing techniques with epigenetic effects. He also summarizes the science behind the infant fields of Energy Psychology and Energy Medicine, both of which offer promising epigenetic medical therapies, and describes examples of the powerful personal breakthroughs being achieved by therapists, doctors, athletes, and entrepreneurs practicing these techniques. The Genie in Your Genes shows that there is a sound theoretical framework, based on credible experiments, for understanding these astonishing results, and predicts that the insightsofEpigenetic Medicine will dramatically advance the fields of both medicine and psychology in the coming decade.

Best of all, The Genie in Your Genes demonstrates that, by taking control of our consciousness and using it to influence our genetic expression, we can sometimes bypass years of therapy, as well as harmful drugs and invasive surgeries, to, in effect, do continuous genetic engineering on our own bodies. This can produce both immediate relief from long-standing anxieties and neuroses, as well as "miraculous" healing of pain, autoimmune diseases, and other symptoms.

Among a new crop of books that chart the way to a positive health future, The Genie in Your Genes stands out as a scientifically rigorous yet inspiring indicator of a future medicine that links soul to body and mind.

Acknowledgments 17

1 Epigenetic Healing 27

Turning Gene Research into Therapy 29

The Dance of Genes and Neurons 30

The Dogma of Genetic Determinism 30

Death of a Dogma 35

The Inner and Outer Environment 37

Your Body Reads Your Mind 40

Steps in Genetic Expression 44

Signals from Outside the Cell 47

Magic Precedes Science 49

Epigenetic Medicine 50

2 You: The Ultimate Epigenetic Engineer 53

DNA Is Not Destiny 56

Nurturing Epigenetic Change 58

Childhood Stress Results in Adult Disease 60

It's the Gene Show, and You're the Director 61

Beliefs and Biochemistry 62

Psychology Becomes Physiology 66

Prayer 67

Doing Good Does You Good 69

Seven Minutes of Spirituality 70

Meditation 70

Epigenetic Visualizations 71

Attitude Is Everything 73

Why Stress Hurts 75

Engineering Your Cells Consciously 75

3 The Malleable Genome 79

Gene Chips 82

Immediate Early Genes 84

Behavioral State-Related Genes 87

Experience-Dependent Genes 91

Burying Trauma in Muscles 94

Rebooting Memory for Healing 101

Creating Your Own Designer Brain 102

Designing Happiness 107

4 The Body Piezoelectric 111

Electrical Medicine in Western Science 115

Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy 122

Electrical Medicine in Direct Observation 125

Spotting Disruption Before It Becomes Disease 129

DNA Regeneration as Favorite Movie 131

Ultrafast Cellular Communication through Coherent Light 132

The Resonant Melody of Creation 134

The Physical Channels of Meridians 134

Energy Medicine's Ancient Roots 139

Frequencies of Healing 142

5 The Connective Semiconducting Crystal 145

Connective Tissue System and Collagen 146

Semiconduction in Connective Tissues149

Speaking into Cells 150

Anchoring Cells to the Connective System 152

Rapid Cellular Signaling 154

6 Belief Therapy 161

Protean Protein Beliefs 163

Electromagnetic Signaling 164

DNA Change and Intention 165

The Dispensary in Your Brain 170

The Fight-or-Flight Response 171

Believing in Good Things 175

New Experimental Questions 184

7 Entangled Strings 187

Subatomic Alchemy 189

Discomfort and Novelty in Research 196

An Entangled Universe 199

The Mirror in Your Brain 200

8 Scanning the Future 205

Interactive Fields 206

Nonlocal Perception 209

The Half-Second Delay 210

9 Writing "Miracles!" on Every Prescription Pad 213

Prescription: Belief 215

Doctors Often See Miracles 216

Discontinuity and Transformation 217

10 Energy Psychology 221

Emotional Freedom Techniques 223

Researchers Study Energy Psychology 228

Energy Cures for Physical Traumas 232

Ever-Quicker Interventions 237

Covert Relief 238

Changing the 'Beliefs below the Symptoms 240

As Easy as TAT 242

11 Your Happy Genes 247

Genes and Emotional States 248

Unhappy Emotions, Unhappy Brain 249

Stress-Induced Genetic Changes 251

Psychologist Sees Different Diseases-Biologist Sees Similar Disease 252

Stress Drives Gene Expression 253

Telomeres and Life Span 256

Choices Reverse Childhood 258

12 Soul Medicine as Conventional Medicine 263

Energy Medicine in Hospitals 265

Discerning an Appropriate Treatment Path 271

Navigating the Options 273

Intention as Quantum Conversation 274

Precise Energy Leverage Points 276

13 Tapping a World of Healing 279

Healing the Wounded Warrior 281

The Iraq Vets Stress Project 282

Just Add Lime Juice 283

Big Isn't What You Think 284

Erasing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder 285

Asking Provocative Questions 289

Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue 291

Unhealed Healers 292

Even High Performers Improve Dramatically 293

Taking Healing to the World 294

14 Medicine for the Body Politic 297

Discontinuous Social Change 299

Individuals Lead Society 303

Epigenetic Influence and Wars Between Nations 304

The Epigenetic Social Cycle 306

The Reaction of the Old Guard 308

Emotional Peace in the Wake of War 311

Wanted: One Thousand People 316

15 Ten Principles of Epigenetic Medicine 319

1 Intentions First, Outcomes Second 324

2 Healing Is a Process, Not an Event 325

3 Heart-Centered 326

4 Being-Focused 327

5 Treat Whole Systems 328

6 Healing Before Disease 332

7 Magnify the Body's Inherent Self-Healing Powers 332

8 Stream to Appropriate Treatment Paths 333

9 Revisioning Death 336

10 Understand the Global Context of Healing 337

16 Practices of Epigenetic Medicine 341

1 Start Treatment with Energy Medicine 344

2 Attachment Doctoring 346

3 Scaled Interventions 348

4 Thrive Through Chaos 350

5 Discover What Triggers Your Quantum Field 353

6 Allow for the X Factor 355

Exceeding the Limits of Vision 356

Appendix A EFT Basic Recipe 361

Appendix B Five Minute Energy Routine 363

1 The Three Thumps 364

2 The Cross Crawl 365

3 The Wayne Cook Posture 366

4 The Crown Pull 367

5 Neurolymphatic Massage 368

6 The Zip Up 368

7 The Hook Up 368

Appendix C About Soul Medicine Institute 371

The Iraq Vets Stress Project 371

Therapies and Practitioners 372

Educational Institutions 372

Scientific Research 372

Trainings Offered 372

Grants, Bequests, and Funding 372

Endnotes 374

Index 390